French Resistance

The French Resistance is the name given to the resistance movements that fought against Nazi Germany's occupation of France during World War II. They operated both as urban guerrillas and as the rural Maquis, with illegal broadcasts and publications being spread to the French people by the resistance to encourage their revolt against the German occupation. From 1940 to 1944, the Resistance waged war on the occupying Axis Powers forces with material assistance from the Allied Powers, and on 30 August 1944, the resistance ceased to exist when Paris was liberated from the Germans. Afterwards, many resistance fighters either returned to their daily lives, or some of them went on to serve with the French Army in the final push against the Germans in 1945. In October 1944, the resistance had 400,000 fighters, and by May 1945 the French had a total of 1,200,000 troops, the fourth-largest army in Europe at the end of the war.